Why I Can't Wait For iPhone 3.0 (And The Reason I'm Really Angry)

Apple is currently rushing through the million and a half new features being implemented into the hotly-anticipated iPhone 3.0 operating system update (releasing June 17), and I'm right there with everyone online who's clamoring for the update to go live. We've been hearing about these updates for months -- give them to us! That said, seeing Apple run down the list reminded me of three additions I'm looking forward to the most (and one feature that's had me grinding my teeth for the last 20 minutes).

Improved GPS Features -- Google Maps on my iPhone has destroyed my ability to naturally find my way around the Earth. The moment I become confused, I'm whipping out the phone and cursing AT&T's slow connection speeds, as I patiently wait for the wonderful blue dot to appear and save me from myself. The addition of proper applications like Tom-Tom and Google Maps integration across all apps means I can tell my brain to forget even more navigational memory. Yay!

Peer-to-Peer Multiplayer -- My girlfriend and I are addicted to Scrabble on the iPhone. We even purchased two copies to cut down on battery use. And while the hand-off multiplayer built into Scrabble already is okay, it'd be great if the times were we're sitting across the room -- or separated on a car or bus -- and we could still drop some word bombs. Bluetooth-based multiplayer solves this issue, and I expect it's something developers will be putting to great use almost immediately.

MMS Messaging -- It's ridiculous the iPhone doesn't support pictures through text messaging. I had such features on my Razr half a decade ago! On one hand, I'm confused that AT&T will not be one of the carriers supporting the integration of MMS support when iPhone 3.0 launches this summer, but at least it's coming. Finally, my Mom, who recently bought an iPhone but doesn't understand how attaching pictures to e-mails works, will be able to see what I'm sending her.

And here's the feature that's making me angry...

Find My iPhone -- I've lost my iPhone. I know others who have lost their iPhone. Excluding those financially traumatic events, it's just annoying when your iPhone slips beneath a pillow and it's been left on vibrate. What if Apple introduced a feature to help locate your phone in these emergency scenarios? They have! The problem: it's tied to a MobileMe subscription. I have no reason to subscribe to MobileMe, but every reason to want the Find My iPhone features. iPhone users, we need to revolt.